Kids caught in the crossfire of military divorce

Most media sources released on December 2 the latest Pentagon news reporting an increase in military divorces – what does this mean? More kids will now be faced with choosing which parent to spend Christmas with this season.

Marriage is under attack in many arenas – lines are being blurred as to who can marry and what the definition of marriage is; cohabitation rates are up, the youth of this nation hesitate to marry for fear of divorce and our military families are suffering under tremendous stress due to separation and financial matters. And the kids are caught in all this cross fire.

When couples divorce, kids are caught in the crossfire – and this trend will continue to rise as more of our service members return home. So what is the solution?

Strong leadership is needed to get this country back on track. A strong ambassador is needed to bring family values back into the family. Our schools need to get back to values-based education and prepare our children for what it means to be a husband or a wife, a dad or a mom. Today’s parents need to stop selling out to the negative messaging against family values and actually teach their kids what it means to be a family. Men and women actually need to sellout to what it means to be married – “for better or worse.”

Marriage works if you work at it – we as a country need to embrace our military families and be a voice and network of support. The fact of the matter is that children living with a single mother are six times more likely to live in poverty as those who live with two biological parents – they are also more likely to have behavioral or psychological problems. Why? Because they are caught in the cross fire of two parents who are no longer unified.

Our military men and women have sacrificed so much – they shouldn’t have to sacrifice their families. Take the Couples Checkup, learn about resources and tools that will help. Be an instrument of positive change.